US8217788B2 - Shoe wear-out sensor, body-bar sensing system, unitless activity assessment and associated methods - Google Patents

Abstract

A shoe wear out sensor includes at least one detector for sensing a physical metric that changes as a sole of a shoe wears out, a processor configured to process the physical metric over time to determine if the shoe is worn out, and an alarm for informing a user of the shoe when the sole is worn out. A body bar sensing system includes a housing with at least one detector for sensing a physical metric that indicates a repetition movement of the housing when attached to the body bar, a processor for processing the physical metric over time to determine repetitions thereof, and a display for informing a user of the repetitions. A system assesses activity and displays a unitless activity value. A detector senses activity of a user. A processor reads sensed activity data from the detector. A display displays the unitless activity value. An enclosure houses the detector and the processor. The processor periodically reads the sensed activity data from the detector and processes the data to generate an activity number, the number being used to generate the unitless activity value based upon a maximum number and a display range.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/083726, filed Apr. 16, 2008, which claims priority under 35 USC §371 to PCT application No. PCT/US2006/040970, filed Oct. 18, 2006, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/728,031, filed Oct. 18, 2005. These applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

Shoes (including sneakers or boots, for example) provide comfort and protection for feet. More importantly, shoes provide physical support for feet to reduce risk of foot injuries. A shoe is often necessary to provide support during intense physical activity, such as running, soccer and American football. As a shoe wears, physical support provided by the shoe decreases, thereby reducing associated protection from injury. When a critical wear level is reached, even if the shoe looks like it is not particularly worn, the shoe may not provide adequate support and may, in fact, cause damage to feet.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a shoe wear out sensor includes at least one detector for sensing a physical metric that changes as a shoe wears out, a processor configured to process the physical metric, over time, to determine if the shoe is worn out, and an alarm for informing a user of the shoe when the sole is worn out.

In another embodiment, a system determines the end of a shoe's life. Use of the shoe is sensed by at least one detector. A processor is configured to measure the use of the shoe and to determine if the shoe is worn out. An alarm informs a user of the shoe when the shoe is worn out.

In another embodiment, a body bar sensing system includes a housing with at least one detector for sensing a physical metric that indicates repeated movement of the housing when attached to the body bar, a processor configured to process the physical metric, over time, to determine repetitions thereof, and a display for informing a user of the repetitions.

In another embodiment, a system assesses activity and displaying a unitless activity value and includes a detector for sensing activity of a user of the system, a processor for processing sensed activity data from the detector, a display for displaying the unitless activity value, and an enclosure for housing the detector and the processor. The processor periodically reads the sensed activity data from the detector and processes the data to generate an activity number, the number being used to generate the unitless activity value based upon a maximum number and a display range.

In another embodiment, a method determines a unitless activity value for a desired period of activity. A period accumulator is cleared prior to the start of the activity period. A detector is periodically sampled to obtain data that is processed to determine a number representative of the sampling period. The number is added to the period accumulator. The unitless activity value is then determined based upon the period accumulator, a maximum activity number and a display range. The unitless activity value is then displayed. The sampling, processing and adding are repeated until data is sampled for the desired period of activity.

In another embodiment, a method assesses activity unitlessly by detecting motion of a user, processing the detected motion, over time, to determine an activity value, ratioing the activity value to a maximum activity value, and reporting a scaled unitless activity value to the user based upon the ratio and a scale.

A software product has instructions, stored on computer-readable media, that, when executed by a computer, perform steps for determining a unitless activity value for a desired period of activity, including instructions for: detecting motion of a user, processing detected motion, over time, to determine an activity value, ratioing the activity value to a maximum activity value, and reporting a scaled unitless activity value to the user based upon the ratio and a scale.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows one exemplary embodiment of a shoe wear-out sensor.

FIG. 2 shows one exemplary embodiment of a shoe with a shoe wear out sensor.

FIG. 3 shows another exemplary embodiment of a shoe with a shoe wear out sensor.

FIG. 4A shows one exemplary process for determining shoe wear out.

FIG. 4B shown one exemplary process for determining shoe wear out.

FIG. 4C shows one exemplary process for determining shoe wear out.

FIG. 4D shown one exemplary process for determining shoe wear out.

FIG. 5 shows one body bar sensing system embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows one part of an exemplary body bar with a body bar sensing system embodiment attached.

FIG. 7 shows one part of a body bar in an embodiment showing a weight and a body bar sensing system that secures the weight onto the body bar.

FIG. 8 shows one exemplary process for reporting body bar usage.

FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of a sensor that unitlessly assesses activity.

FIG. 10 shows a process for unitlessly determining activity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows one shoe-wear outsensor100.Sensor100 includes aprocessor102, adetector104 and analarm106. Abattery108 may be used topower processor102,detector104 andalarm106; alternatively, a magnetic coil generator (not shown) or other mechanical motion-to-electricity conversion device may be employed withsensor100 to power these elements.Detector104 is for example an accelerometer and/or a force sensing resistor (FSR).Alarm106 is for example a light emitting diode (LED) and/or a small speaker and/or a small sound actuator (e.g., a buzzer, piezoelectric beeper etc).

FIG. 2 shows ashoe200 with a shoe-wear outsensor210.Shoe200 is for example a running or sport shoe, boot (e.g., a snowboard or hiking boot), slipper, dress shoe or flip-flop;shoe200 may alternatively be an orthopedic shoe for providing special foot support.Sensor210 may representsensor100,FIG. 1. In the illustrated embodiment,shoe200 has a sole202 and anupper part204.Sole202 has anoutsole206 and aheel208.Sensor210 is shown contained withinheel208; howeversensor210 may be placed elsewhere within or on the shoe to function similarly.

FIG. 3 shows one exemplary embodiment of a shoe with a shoe-wear outsensor310.Sensor310 may again representsensor100,FIG. 1.Shoe300 is shown with a sole302 and anupper part304.Sole302 has anoutsole306 and aheel308.Shoe300 may again represent, for example, a running shoe, sports shoe or orthopedic shoe (or other type of shoe or boot).Electronics310aofsensor310 are shown contained withinheel308; butdetector312 is shown located withinouter sole306, illustrating that the elements of sensor100 (FIG. 1) may be dispersed to various locations of the shoe while providing similar functionality.Detector312 is forexample detector104,FIG. 1; it may thereby be a force sensing resistor and/or a piezoelectric foil that is electrically connected, viaconnection314, toelectronics310 ofsensor310. Ifdetector312 is a piezoelectric foil (or other piezoelectric device), use ofshoe300 results in flexing ofdetector312 which may generate sufficient electricity to power electronics ofsensor310, avoiding the need forbattery108.

FIGS. 1,2 and3 are best viewed together with the following description.Sensor100 may be embedded in a shoe (e.g.,sensors210,310 withinshoes200,300) and configured to determine when that shoe has “worn out”. It then informs the user, viaalarm106, that it is time to buy a new shoe (usually a new pair of shoes). In an embodiment,alarm106 is anLED217 that is positioned at the outside of the shoe such that it may be seen, when activated, by the user of the shoe, as illustratively shown inFIG. 2.

Processor102 may operate under control of algorithmic software103 (which is illustratively shown withinprocessor102, though it may reside elsewhere withinsensor100, for example as stand alone memory of sensor100).Algorithmic software103 for example includes algorithms for processing data fromdetector104 to determine when a shoe is worn out.

FIG. 4A for example illustrates oneprocess400 performed byprocessor102 ofFIG. 1. Instep402,processor102samples detector104 to determine a physical metric associated with the shoe. In an example ofstep402,detector104 is an accelerometer and thereby provides acceleration data resulting from movement of the shoe upon a surface as the physical metric. For example, as the shoe strikes the ground when in use,processor102 takes a plurality ofsamples using detector104 to form an impact profile. Instep404,processor102 processes the physical metric and compares it against a predetermined threshold, response curve or other data reference. In an example ofstep404,processor102 compares the impact profile determined from the accelerometer against an impact profile of a “new” shoe. In another example ofsteps402,404, the physical metric is power spectral density corresponding to certain frequencies of interest; and the power spectral density is compared, during use of the shoe, to a data reference containing power spectral density of a new or acceptably performing shoe. If the current data (i.e., physical metric) is too large or exceeds the data reference, for example, thenprocessor102 sets off alarm106 (e.g., lights LED217) instep406. In one embodiment, upon first use of the shoe,processor102 determines an impact profile of the new shoe that is then used (e.g., as the threshold or data reference) in comparison against subsequently determined impact profiles. Or, upon first use of the shoe, for example,processor102 may store the appropriate data reference (e.g., power spectral density or threshold) for comparison against data captured in latter uses of the shoe. In this way, therefore,process400 may be efficiently used to inform a user of shoe wear out.

As noted, data fromdetector104 may be processed in the frequency domain (e.g., using Fourier transforms of data from detector104) so as to evaluate, for example, power spectral density of the physical metric (e.g., acceleration or force), instep404. In this manner, therefore, a range of frequencies may be evaluated (e.g., an area under the curve for certain frequencies may be integrated) fromdetector104 and then compared to similar data (as the threshold) of a new shoe. As a shoe wears, the elasticity of the material from which it is made changes; thus the ability of the material to absorb the shock of the shoe contacting the ground deteriorates, resulting in more shock force being transferred to the foot within the shoe. By determining the increase of the shock force above the threshold, in this embodiment, the wear on the shoe may be determined.

We now specifically incorporate by reference the teachings and disclosure of: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,539,336; 6,266,623; 6,885,971; 6,856,934; 6,8963,818; 6,499,000; and U.S. application Ser. No. 10/297,270. These patents and applications provide useful background, power sensing and weight/movement monitoring techniques suitable for use with the teachings of this present application.

In an embodiment, similar to the embodiment ofFIG. 3,processor102 determines wear ofshoe300 based upon weight of the user ofshoe300. By using signals fromdetector312 to determine an approximate weight of the user of shoe300 (for example by using a pressure sensor and fluid-filled cavity as detector104),processor102 may determine a life expectancy ofshoe300. Since the wear on the shoe is roughly proportional to the weight applied by the wearer, during activity, by determining the weight of the wearer and the amount the shoe is used (e.g., how often and how long the shoe is used),processor102 may thus determine shoe wear with increased accuracy. That is, a shoe used by someone who spends most of their time sitting at a desk receives less wear that a shoe used by someone who spends most of the day standing on their feet.

In another embodiment, by sensing when the shoe is used—or for how long—the teachings herein may instead be applied so as to set off the alarm after a term or time of use has expired. For example, if a shoe is specified for use to at least 100 hours or 500 miles (or other similar metric specified by the shoe manufacturer), then by sensing weight or acceleration (or other physical metric, via detector104) that use may be determined;processor102 then activatesalarm106 when the use is exceeded. For example, using one or more accelerometers asdetector104, speed of the shoe may be determined through operation ofprocessor102 using an appropriate algorithm withinsoftware103; thisprocessor102 then uses the speed information to determine distance traveled and sets offalarm106 when, for example, the manufacturer's specified distance use is met. Illustratively, in another example, if the manufacturer specifies that the shoe may be used under normal conditions for 500 hours (or some other time), thendetector104 in the form of an accelerometer may determine when the shoe is in use;processor106 then determines the period of use, over time (e.g., weeks and months) and sets offalarm106 when the accumulated use exceeds the specified limit.

FIG. 4B for example illustrates oneprocess450 performed byprocessor102 ofFIG. 1 for determining shoe wear out. Instep452,processor102samples detector104 to determine one or more physical metrics associated with the shoe. In an example ofstep402,detector104 includes a fluid filled cavity and a pressure sensor and thereby provides a signal representative of force upon the shoe (e.g., a value representative of the weight of the user of the shoe). For example, as the shoe is used,processor102 takes a plurality of pressure reading fromdetector104. Instep454,processor102 determines an approximate weight upon the shoe based upon samples ofstep452. In one example ofstep454,processor102 utilizes algorithms ofsoftware103 to determine an approximate weight of the user of the shoe based upon pressure values sensed bydetector104. Instep456,process102 determines the duration of the shoe's use. In one example ofstep456,processor102 utilizes algorithms ofsoftware103 to measure the duration that the shoe is used based upon readings fromdetector104 and an internal timer ofprocessor102. Instep458,processor102 determines the shoe use for the sample period ofstep452. In one example ofstep458, processor utilizes algorithms ofsoftware103 to determine a use factor based upon the determined weight ofstep454 and the duration of use ofstep458. Instep460,processor102 determines remaining life of the shoe based upon the determined shoe use ofstep458. In one example ofstep460,processor102 maintains a cumulative value of usage determined instep458 for comparison against a manufacturer's expected usage of the shoe. Instep462,processor102 enablesalarm106 if the shoe's life is exceeded.Steps452 through462 repeat periodically throughout the life of the shoe to monitor shoe usage based upon wear determined from the weight of the user and the duration of use.

In the above description ofprocess450, it is not necessary that weight be determined. Rather, in an embodiment, it may instead be determined that the shoe is in use based on an algorithm using the pressure or force baseddetector104; and then this use is accumulated time-wise to determine when the shoe's life expectancy is exceeded. For example, once a user puts weight onto this detector (in this embodiment), thenprocessor102 detects (through use of an algorithm as software103) that the shoe is in use due to the presence of weight ontodetector104.

FIG. 4C for example illustrates oneprocess470 performed byprocessor102 ofFIG. 1 for determining shoe wear out. Instep471,processor102samples detector104 periodically over a defined period. In one example ofstep471,detector104 is an accelerometer that is sampled periodically byprocessor102 over a period of ten seconds. Instep472,processor102 determines if the shoe is in use. In one example ofstep472,processor102 utilizes algorithms ofsoftware103 to process the samples ofstep471 to determine if the shoe is in use. Step473 is a decision. If, instep473,processor102 determines that the shoe is in use,process470 continues withstep474; otherwiseprocess470 continues withstep475. Instep474,processor102 adds a value representative of the defined period ofstep471 to an accumulator. In one example ofstep474, a non-volatile accumulator is incremented by one, where the one represents a period of ten seconds. Step475 is a decision. If, instep475,processor102 determines that the shoe is worn out,process470 continues withstep476; otherwiseprocess470 continues withstep471. In one example of the decision ofstep475,processor102 compares the use accumulator ofstep474 against a value representative of the expected life of the shoe.Steps471 through475 repeat throughout the lifetime of the shoe. As appreciated, power saving measures may be used withinsensor100 when it is determined that the shoe in whichsensor100 is installed is not in use. Instep476,processor102 enablesalarm106. In one example ofstep476,processor102 may periodically activateLED217,FIG. 2, untilbattery108 is exhausted.

Process470 thus determines the wear on a shoe by measuring the amount of use and comparing it against the expected use defined by a manufacturer, for example. In an embodiment, the use accumulator ofstep474 is a timer withinprocessor102. This timer is started whenstep473 determines that the shoe is in use and is stopped whenstep473 determines that the shoe is not in use. This timer thus accumulates, in real time, the use of the shoe for comparison against a manufacturer's expected use. In another embodiment, step472 may determine the number of steps a shoe has taken such that the use accumulator ofstep474 accumulates the total number of steps taken by the shoe. This total number of steps is then compared to the manufacturer's recommended number of steps expected in the shoes life time.

FIG. 4D illustrates oneprocess480 performed byprocessor102 ofFIG. 1 for determining shoe wear out. Instep481,processor102samples detector104 periodically over a defined period. In one example ofstep481,detector104 is an accelerometer andprocessor102 samples acceleration values over a period of 1 second. Instep482,processor102 determines if the shoe is in use. In one example ofstep482,processor102 utilizes algorithms ofsoftware103 to determine if characteristics of samples values ofstep481 indicate that the shoe is in use. Step483 is a decision. If, instep483,processor102 determines that the shoe is in use,process480 continues withstep484; otherwiseprocess480 continues withstep486. Instep484,processor102 determines a distance traveled over the defined period ofstep481. In one example ofstep484,processor102 utilizes algorithms ofsoftware103 to first determine speed of the shoe, and then determines distance covered in one second. Instep485,processor102 accumulates the distance traveled. In one example ofstep485,processor102 adds the distance determined instep484 to a total distance traveled accumulator. In one example, this accumulator is stored in non-volatile memory. Step486 is a decision. If, instep486,processor102 determines that the shoe is worn out,process480 continues withstep487; otherwiseprocess480 continues withstep481. In one example ofstep486,processor102 compares the total accumulated distance ofstep485 against the manufacturer's recommended maximum distance for the shoe.Steps481 through486 repeat throughout the lifetime of the shoe. As appreciated, power saving measures may be used withinsensor100 when it is determined that the shoe is not in use. Instep487,processor102 enablesalarm106. In one example ofstep487,processor102 may periodically activateLED217,FIG. 2, untilbattery108 is exhausted.Process480 thus determines shoe wear by measuring the distance traveled by the shoe, using one or more accelerometers, and compares that distance to a manufacturer's recommended maximum distance for the shoe.

FIG. 5 shows a bodybar sensing system500.System500 includes ahousing502, aprocessor504, adetector506 and either aninternal display508 or anexternal display512. Abattery510 may be used topower processor504,detector506 anddisplay508/512.Detector506 is for example an accelerometer or a Hall Effect sensor.Display508/512 is for example a liquid crystal display and/or a small speaker (e.g., that emits voice annunciations or other sounds generated by processor504).

FIG. 6 shows one part of anexemplary body bar602 with bodybar sensing system500 attached; aweight604 and retainingclip606 are also shown to secureweight604 onto body bar602 (note, some body bars use no weights but weight is shown inFIG. 6 for illustrative purposes).Body bar602 may represent a work out bar used by people in the gym, or a barbell, or other similar apparatus that requires a number of repetitions in exercise.FIG. 7 showsbody bar602 in an embodiment with another bodybar sensing system500 that securesweight604 ontobody bar602. That is,sensing system500 in addition operates as retainingclip606,FIG. 6.

FIGS. 5,6 and7 are best viewed together with the following description.Housing502 attaches to body bar602 as shown inFIG. 6 or as shown inFIG. 7.Processor504 utilizesdetector506 to determine when system500 (as attached to body bar602) has performed one repetition; it then informs the user, viadisplay508/512 for example, of a number of repetitions (or whether the user has performed the right number or any other number of planned repetitions as programmed into processor504).

Wheredisplay512 is used (i.e., remote from housing502), a wireless transmitter (not shown) may be included withinhousing502 to remotely provide data fromprocessor504 to remote display512 (as shown in dotted outline). Wheredisplay508 is integral withhousing502, then display508 provides a visual display for a user whenhousing502 attaches to the body bar. In one embodiment, display512 (shown in dotted outline) is part of a watch (or a MP3 player or a cell phone) that may be seen when worn or used by the user when performing exercises; and measurements determined byprocessor504 are transmitted to the watch (or to the MP3 player or cell phone) for display upondisplay512.

Processor504 may operate under control of algorithmic software505 (which is illustratively shown withinprocessor504 although it may reside elsewhere withinhousing502, such as stand alone memory within housing502).Algorithmic software505 for example includes algorithms for processing data fromdetector506 to determine the repetitions performed by a user ofbody bar602.

FIG. 8 shown oneexemplary process800 performed byprocessor504. Instep802,detector506 samples a physical metric associated withbody bar602. In an example ofstep802,detector506 is an accelerometer and thereby provides acceleration as the physical metric. In another example ofstep802, detector is a Hall effect sensor which detects inversion (and thus repetition) ofbar602. Instep804,processor504 processes the physical metric to assess whether the metric indicates a repetition ofbody bar602. In an example ofstep804,processor504 evaluates the acceleration to determine ifbody bar602 has been raised or lowered within a certain time interval. Instep806, repetition information is displayed to the user. In an example ofstep806, the number of repetitions is relayed remotely (wirelessly) to a watch that includesdisplay512. That watch may also include a processor to store data and inform the user of repetitions for workouts, over time.

FIG. 9 shows oneexemplary system900 for unitlessly assessing activity of a user.System900 has aprocessor904, adetector906 and abattery908 within an enclosure902 (e.g., a plastic housing).System900 may include adisplay910 for displaying unitless units to the user. Alternatively (or in addition), aremote display912 is used to display the unitless units; in this case,enclosure902 includes awireless transmitter913 in communication with, and controlled by,processor904, so that transmitted unitless assessment numbers are sent toremote display912.

In an embodiment,detector906 is an accelerometer andprocessor904 determines a value representing an activity level of the user ofsystem900 for display ondisplay910 ordisplay912. The accelerometer is for example positioned withinhousing902 so that, whenhousing902 is attached to a user,accelerometer906 senses motion perpendicular to a surface (e.g., ground or a road or a floor) upon which the user moves (e.g., runs, dances, bounces). Data from the accelerometer is for example processed in the frequency domain as power spectral density (e.g., by frequency binning of the data). Multiple accelerometers (e.g., a triaxial accelerometer) may also be used asdetector906—for example to sense motion in other axes in addition to one perpendicular to the surface—and then processed together (e.g., in power spectral density domain) to arrive at a unitless value (as described below).

Processor904 may utilize one or more algorithms, shown assoftware905 withinprocessor904, for processing information obtained fromdetector906 to assess the activity of the user. For example,processor904 may periodically sampledetector906 to measure acceleration forces experienced by the user (whenenclosure902 is attached to the user, e.g., at the user's belt or shoe).Processor904 may then process these forces to assess the activity level of the user. This activity level may represent effort exerted by the user when skiing.

The following represents a typical use ofsystem900, in an embodiment. In this example,detector906 is one or more accelerometers. First,processor904 determines whensystem900 is in use, for example by sensing movement ofhousing902 that corresponds to known activity (e.g., skiing or running). Alternatively,system900 includes abutton915 that starts processing (in which case, separate determination of a known activity is not necessary). In an embodiment,button915 is located proximate to display912, and communicated wirelessly withprocessor904. In this case,wireless transmitter913 is a transceiver andbutton915 includes a transmitter or a transceiver.

Onceprocessor904 knows (by sensing motion) or is notified (by button915) thatsystem900 is operating in the desired activity, then it collects data over a period of that activity—for example over 1 hour (a typical aerobic hour), 4 hours (a typical long run), 8 hours (a typical “ski” day) or over one full day, each of these being typical sport activity periods; however any time may be used and/or programmed insystem900. In an example,processor904 integrates power spectral density of acceleration over this period of time to generate a number. This number in fact is a function of g's, frequency units and time, which does not make intuitive sense to the user. For example, consider a professional athlete who snowboards down difficult, double diamond terrain for eight hours. Whensystem900 measures his activity over this period, his number will be high (e.g., 500“units” of power spectral density) because of his extreme physical capabilities. Then, when a less capable user usessystem900, a number of, e.g., 250 units may be generated because the user is not as capable (physically and skilled) as the professional. Therefore, in this example, an expected maximum number, shown asMAX914 withinprocessor904, may be set at 500. A display range, shown asRNG916 withinprocessor904, may also be defined such thatsystem900 may display a unitless value that is relative to the maximum number. Continuing with the above example, ifRNG916 is set to 100,system900 displays a unitless value of 100 for the professional athlete and a unitless value of 50 for the less capable user (i.e., the less capable user has a 50% value of the professional athlete). By settingRNG916 to other values, the displayed output range ofsystem900 may be modified.

In one example of use,system900 is formed as a wrist watch to facilitate attachment to a child's wrist.System900, when worn by the child, may then determine the child's activity level for the day. In another example of use,system900 may be attached to a person's limb that is recuperating from injury (e.g., sporting injury, accident and/or operation etc.) such thatsystem900 may determine if the limb is receiving the right amount of activity to expedite recovery.

In another example of use, two skiers each use asystem900 when skiing for a day. The first skier, who is experienced and athletic, skis difficult ski runs (e.g., black double diamonds) all day, whereas the second skier is less experienced and skis easy runs (e.g., green runs) all day. At the end of the day, the first skier has a unitless activity value of 87 and the second skier has a unitless activity value of 12. Thus, these unitless activity values indicate the relative activity levels of each skier.

FIG. 10 shows a flowchart illustrating oneprocess1000 for determining and displaying a unitless value representative of a users activity.Process1000 may represent algorithms withinsoftware905 ofFIG. 9, for example, to be executed byprocessor904. Instep1002,process1000 clears a period accumulator. In one example ofstep1002,processor904, under control ofsoftware905, clearsperiod accumulator918. Instep1004,process1000 samples the detector to obtain data. In one example ofstep1004,processor904 periodicallysamples detector906 over a sample period to determine data representative of the user's activity for that period. Instep1006,process1000 processes the data ofstep1004 to determine a number. In one example ofstep1006,processor904 integrates power spectral density of acceleration sampled instep1004 over the sample period ofstep1004 to generate a number. Instep1008, the number determined instep1004 is added to the period accumulator. In one example ofstep1006,processor904 adds the number determined instep1004 toperiod accumulator918. Instep1010,process1000 determines a unitless activity value from the accumulator. In one example ofstep1010,processor904 converts the accumulated value to a display value based uponMAX914 andRNG916. Instep1012,process1000 displays the determined unitless activity value. In one example ofstep1012,processor904 sends the determined unitless activity value to display912 viawireless transmitter913.Step1014 is a decision. If, instep1014, the activity period for display has ended,process1000 terminates; otherwiseprocess1000 continues withstep1004.Steps1004 through1014 thus repeat until the desired activity period is over.

Changes may be made to this application without departing from the scope hereof. It should thus be noted that the matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings should be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. The following claims are intended to cover all generic and specific features described herein, as well as all statements of the scope of the present method and system, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall there between.

Claims (14)

1. A system for assessing activity and displaying a unitless activity value, comprising:

a detector for sensing activity of a user;

a processor for processing sensed activity data from the detector;

a display for displaying the unitless activity value;

and an enclosure for housing the detector and the processor;

wherein the processor periodically reads the sensed activity data from the detector and processes the data to generate an activity number, the number being used to generate the unitless activity value based upon a maximum number and a display range.

2. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising a battery.

3. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising a button wherein a user of the system may press the button to indicate start of an activity period.

4. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the button is mounted within the enclosure and accessible externally.

5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the processor detects the start of an activity period automatically.

6. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the display is within the enclosure and visible externally to the enclosure.

7. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising a wireless transmitter for transmitting the unitless activity value to the display, the display being remote from the enclosure.

8. A method for determining a unitless activity value for a desired period of activity, comprising:

clearing a period accumulator prior to the start of the activity period;

sampling a detector periodically to obtain data;

processing the data to determine a number representative of the sampling period;

adding the number to the period accumulator;

determining the unitless activity value based upon the period accumulator, a maximum activity number and a display range; and

displaying the unitless activity value;

wherein the steps of sampling, processing, and adding are repeated until data is sampled for the desired period of activity.

9. A method of assessing activity unitlessly, comprising:

detecting motion of a user;

processing detected motion, over time, to determine an activity value;

ratioing the activity value to a maximum activity value; and

reporting a scaled unitless activity value to the user based upon the ratio and a scale.

10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein detecting comprises using at least accelerometer.

11. The method ofclaim 9, wherein processing comprises determining power spectral density over a frequency range.

12. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the maximum activity value corresponds to predetermined activity value of a professional athlete.

13. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the scale comprises 0 to 10 or 0 to 100.

14. A software product comprising instructions, stored on computer-readable media, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, perform steps for determining a unitless activity value for a desired period of activity, comprising:

instructions for detecting motion of a user;

instructions for processing detected motion, over time, to determine an activity value;

instructions for ratioing the activity value to a maximum activity value; and

instructions for reporting a scaled unitless activity value to the user based upon the ratio and a scale.

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